Weasel Your Way Out
by WitandAmbition
Summary: Draco hates Ginny. She hates him, too. But according to the Ministry, they have an 84% compatibility, which makes them ideal as a couple. Clearly there were some miscalculations. (DH-compliant, EWE, DM/GiW with a dash of other pairings.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Kingsley Shacklebolt eyed the document. "Compatibility?" he said, drawing the word out slowly.

The Ministry employee in front of him pulled at his collar. Elder Atherton was rather new at this job. After the war, he'd been promoted to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, giving him one of the twelve seats on the Wizengamot. His family wasn't pureblood in the truest sense of the word, but they'd been magical for a long time. Kingsley selected such people to quell both factions.

At a pointed look from the Minister, Atherton cleared his throat.

"It's – It's just suggestions," he said. "These people have the highest chances of working as a couple. They also have a high likelihood of producing viable children. We can't force them to marry –"

"Indeed not," Kingsley said blandly. He could already imagine the bloodshed.

"But as you know, our population was vastly damaged by the wars," the Elder continued. "In order to reach a sustainable level again, we need each couple to produce at least two to three children. However, this current generation is… less inclined, shall we say, to settle down."

Kingsley frowned in thought. What the Elder spoke was true. They had hoped that more people would celebrate the end of the war with nuptials and babies. However, in the last three years those numbers seemed to be declining. As a result, they were also seeing a decline in the population.

"But why the compatibility statistics?" he asked.

"Our hope is that if a person knows a romantic partner exists for them, that person will seek out their partner." Atherton pointed to the file on Kingsley's desk. "These are not soulmates. Some pairings might not even work out. But these statistics _do _take into account each person's personality and beliefs to find their most compatible partner."

His brow furrowing even more, Kingsley glanced again at the document. From the list provided, he already knew the system was flawed, but as Atherton already stated, these were merely suggestions. He took a steeling breath before speaking.

"We'll try it." He smiled at Atherton's look of shock; clearly, the Elder hadn't expected him to agree so quickly. "But the program will run for only five years. If we see no beneficial results, it will be cut off. Are we clear?"

The Elder bobbed his head. "Yes, sir."

* * *

Two weeks later, each unmarried witch and wizard over the age of seventeen received a letter from the Ministry. The public had already been made aware of the Marriage Act, so they weren't surprised to see the lists of potential partners. However, not everyone was happy with their lists. One such person was Ginny Weasley, fiancee to the Man-Who-Conquered, Harry Potter.

_Official Ministry Compatibility Results_

_Dear Ms. Weasley,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you are compatible with the following people:_

_Draco Lucius Malfoy (84%)_

_Harry James Potter (78%)_

_This does not mean you are required to marry any of these people. These are merely suggestions which we hope you will take into consideration. _

_The ministry sends you their best wishes in finding your prospective life partner._

_Sincerely,_

_Judith Ogden_

_Head of the Marriage Compatibility Committee_

* * *

"Seventy-eight percent match?" Ginny cried. "But we're perfect together!"

Harry lifted his gaze from his own list. "Apparently not," he said, and then winced when she threw him a glare. "I mean, according to this," he added hastily. "_I _know we're perfect together."

"Of course we are," she huffed. "There's no way I'm more compatible with _Draco Malfoy_ than you."

Setting his letter aside, Harry reached for her chair and pulled her closer. She decided to take it a step further and climbed onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he tilted his head back slightly to look her in the eye.

"They're just suggestions," he reminded her gently. "We already know we're made for each other."

"I know," she grumbled, but she was still dissatisfied. The Ministry knew about their upcoming wedding, so they shouldn't have even bothered with the letters. "But _Draco Malfoy_, Harry… Who in their right mind would ever pair him with me?"

"Clearly, that person _wasn't_ in their right mind." He pressed a kiss to her chin. "Just don't think about it, Gin. I love you, and that's all that matters."

Winding a hand into his hair, she tilted his head at a better angle and kissed him more deeply. She put all of her love into that kiss. If anyone was perfect for her, it was Harry Potter. There was no doubt in her mind.

A whoosh of flames signaled that someone had arrived through the Floo, and with great reluctance, Ginny drew back from Harry. She noted with satisfaction that he looked a little dazed from the kiss.

"Harry? Ginny?" Hermione called.

"In the kitchen," Ginny answered since Harry seemed incapable of speaking.

Hermione clattered down the steps, breathless and her hair bushier than ever. She waved the letter in her hand at them. "Did you get –" She stopped when saw the position they were in. "Oh… Am I interrupting?"

"No, it's fine," Harry replied. With a nudge, he encouraged Ginny back into her own seat. She smirked when he didn't get up to greet his friend. "So, er, who's your match?"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "Isn't it wonderful?"

Ginny forced a smile, even as there was a pulling sense of jealousy in her gut. Hermione and Ron had been dating just as long as she and Harry, so they should be the same compatibility, too.

"That's wonderful, Hermione," she gushed. "Maybe we could even have a double-wedding!"

Hermione shook her head, smiling. "I want to wait until I'm twenty-five before I get married," she said. "I doubt you two want to wait that long."

Harry shared a glance with Ginny, and warmth bloomed in her chest. Ever since she was a little girl, a single look from him could fill her with yearning.

"No," he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a smile, "we don't want to wait at all."

* * *

Draco let his mother take the letter out of his hands. Feeling overwhelmed, he could do nothing more than stare sightlessly at the wall opposite him. He was unable to think about anything but the three names on his list.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley," his mother mused aloud. "That's the girl your father hurt, is it not?"

Most of the time they avoided discussing his father. Unlike them, Lucius was too deeply implicated with the Death Eaters to escape prison. Not to mention, Potter had no interest in saving a man who almost got his girlfriend killed.

An insane urge to laugh bubbled up inside Draco. Life had taken an interesting turn indeed. He pressed a fist against his thigh and tried to steady himself.

"Yes," he answered. "Needless to say, I will not be considering her."

His mother only hummed in response.

"Astoria and I have eighty-three percent compatibility," he continued. "It's higher with Lovegood, but that match is even more impossible."

Whoever made these calculations didn't take into account the possibility of incest. Marriage between third cousins was common, but not even Draco would consider his first cousin as a romantic partner.

"I wouldn't discount Miss Weasley so quickly," his mother said. "She is extremely viable to produce a large amount of children, while it will be difficult for Miss Greengrass to produce even one."

His gaze snapped to her. "Mother, surely you aren't suggesting –"

"I am," she confirmed, and with a small smile, she reached over to move a lock of hair out of his eyes. "When it comes to marriage, there are much more important things than love." She stroked the side of his face and then retracted her hand. When she spoke again, her voice came out sterner. "The future of our family rests upon you, Draco."

Bile rose in the back of his throat. If the letter disconcerted him, then his mother's words made him physically sick.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.**

Ginny lay in the soft grass with her eyes closed. After several days of hectic wedding planning, all she wanted was a quiet moment alone. Unfortunately, it also gave her time to think about her compatibility results, which she'd firmly pushed to the back of her mind.

Not once had she ever doubted her love for Harry. Ever since she was a little girl, she'd been fascinated by him, and then when he saved her, she fell head over heels in love with him. He was everything she wanted: passionate, warm-hearted, and with a shared sense of humor, too. In contrast, Draco was just annoying.

With that in mind, she opened her eyes and took in the clear, blue sky above her. There was no point in wondering why the ministry thought she was compatible with Draco. None of it mattered, anyway. She would be marrying the love of her life in only four months.

"Ginny," her mother called from the back door. "Nadine is here to see you."

She sat up and brushed the grass from her hair. Nadine wrote for the sports section in the_ Daily Prophet_, and was in charge of making sure Ginny's image remained respectable. All Ginny had to do in return was share a few details about her and Harry's private life.

Not caring about the grass stains on her clothes, Ginny entered the kitchen and let the door slam closed behind her. At the table, Nadine looked up, her quill already hovering over her notebook. Her red-painted lips curved into a smile when she saw Ginny.

"Oh, yes, that's perfect for your image," she purred.

Ginny rolled her eyes and opened the cabinet to grab a glass. Once she'd filled it with water, she turned to face Nadine, her back resting against the counter behind her. "So how can I help you?" she said a touch sarcastically.

Nadine set her notebook aside and pulled out another one. She left the first notebook open and Ginny could see a rough sketch of herself. As she watched, the quill filled in the rest of the drawing and made the lines look cleaner. That was actually really impressive. She'd have to do more research on the quill as a gift for Luna.

"Harry proposed a month ago, yes?" said Nadine, and Ginny tore her gaze away from the quill.

"Yes, at his birthday," she answered. "The wedding will be in December."

Nadine smiled. "A Christmas wedding is always magical."

Ginny only made an agreeable sound and took a sip of her water. She had no intention of revealing any more details about the wedding.

"You just turned twenty, correct?" The reporter raised one eyebrow, a familiar, mocking expression for her. "Don't you think you're moving too quickly? You only just graduated from school, after all."

Ginny had heard this protest before, from Hermione in fact, and had a prepared response. "Harry and I have been dating for two years now," she said. "We're more than ready to begin our life together."

They hadn't seen each other that often while she was in school and he finished his Auror training, but she treasured each of those moments. Harry would also visit during Hogsmeade Weekends if he could, which helped ease the strain of a long-distance relationship.

"His parents died when they were twenty-one," Nadine mused. "And now he'll be getting married and starting his own family. Oh, this is exciting. Have you talked about children yet?"

"No, we haven't," Ginny replied. "But as you know, I'll be starting Quidditch training this fall. I want to play for about five years before we have any children."

That eyebrow raised again. "What if an uh-oh happens?"

"Then I'll return to Quidditch afterward," Ginny said solidly. "We have all the time in the world to have children now that Harry's defeated Voldemort."

The informal interview ended shortly afterward. With a smile, Nadine shook Ginny's hand and promised that the article would be in the newspaper within the week. Then she exited onto the porch, her heels clacking with each step. From the window, Ginny watched her walk to the end of the driveway and privately marveled when Nadine turned to Apparate without falling. Ginny certainly would have in such high heels.

"How'd it go?" her mother asked from behind her.

Ginny shrugged noncommittally. "Alright, I guess." She turned to look at her mother, a more burning question on her mind. "Do I have to wear heels for the wedding?"

Her mother's eyes lit up as they always did when Ginny mentioned wedding plans. If Ginny had it her way, she and Harry would get married within the month in a small, private ceremony and be done with it. Unfortunately, her mother had other ideas, and she was so enthusiastic about it all that Ginny went along with it.

The rest of the afternoon passed by in a blur. Tired and drained, Ginny was going through the motions as she inserted her key into the door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Against her mother's protests, Ginny had moved in with Harry as soon as he proposed to her.

"Mistress Ginny, this arrived for you today."

Startled, she looked down to realize she had almost tripped over Kreacher. He was bent into a bow as he presented an envelope to her.

"Kreacher checked it for spells," he continued. "It is safe for Mistress to read."

That was an unfortunate byproduct of Harry's fame. Most letters were sent to the Auror's Office where he worked, and all of them were checked for curses. However, Ginny realized with a frown, only people who knew about the existence of Grimmauld Place could get a letter through the wards.

Warily, she took the letter from Kreacher. Her frown deepened when she saw the embossed seal on the back of the envelope. She couldn't think of any reason for Andromeda to be writing to her. If something had happened to Teddy, Andromeda would have contacted Harry immediately. Furthermore, she never would have addressed Ginny as _Miss Ginevra Weasley_.

"Who is this from?" Ginny asked the house-elf.

He wasn't looking quite directly at her. "If Kreacher were to guess, he would say Mrs. Malfoy."

"Mrs. Malfoy?" she repeated incredulously. "What does she want with _me_?"

Then suddenly, her compatibility results came to the forefront of her mind again. Ginny stared at the letter in her hands. Surely Malfoy wouldn't have revealed his results to his mother. She'd only told Harry because he was her fiancée.

Kreacher's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Would Mistress like to read it, or should Kreacher dispose of the letter?"

"No, no, I'll read it." She hesitated, and then said, "You mustn't tell Harry about this, okay?"

The house-elf stared at her. "If Master asks, then Kreacher must answer him."

"Then circumvent the truth," said Ginny. "We both know you can do that."

After a moment, the house-elf nodded, and satisfied, Ginny moved past him into the sitting room to be alone. She didn't want to hide anything from Harry, but if Mrs. Malfoy was threatening her, then Ginny wanted to handle it on her own. Harry was busy enough without having to worry about her, too.

Settling onto the hard, old sofa, Ginny stared at the seal again. She hadn't expected Mrs. Malfoy to still be using the Black family seal. Most married women took on their husband's crest. Then again, Lucius Malfoy was still in prison and the family was embroiled in shame.

"Stop procrastinating," Ginny told herself, and in one smooth move, she tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

* * *

_Dear Miss Weasley,_

_I am writing to you on behalf of my son. According to the Ministry, you and Draco have remarkably high compatibility results. I implore you to consider Draco…_

* * *

"Oh, fuck this."

Ginny threw the letter into the empty grate in front of her and then lit the paper on fire. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with Draco Malfoy, especially not at the request of his mother. Standing, she stretched her arms above her head and then padded off to see what Kreacher was cooking for dinner. Draco Malfoy was shoved to the back of her mind once again.


End file.
